The Cochrane Cobras lengthened their dynasty to seven years as the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Tier III provincial football champions, winning the Alberta Bowl championship game in Edmonton Nov. 26.
In a rock-solid defensive performance from both teams, the Cobras were able to hold off the Holy Rosary Raiders line to win 15-7 in front of a cheering crowd of Cochranites at Commonwealth Stadium.
Cobras running back Shaun Clazie recorded a single touchdown and kicker Kylian Beaupre raked in three field goals as the Cobras edged out the Raiders for the provincial championship. The win marks Cochrane's seventh consecutive provincial title.
Cobras co-head coach Robbie McNab said the team was excited and drained by the end.
"It was a really tight game," he said. "Every time you're in a tight game like that, it takes a toll on coaches and kids.
"But when you win that close one, there's no better feeling."
Neither team was letting anything up in the first quarter, and it wasn't until about halfway through the second that the Cobras offence started to figure out how they could work together to break the Raiders' seemingly impenetrable defensive line.
"We just kept slugging and kept moving the clock and getting some first downs – our defense was lights out," McNab said.
After the game, McNab said his phone blew up, with about 150 congratulatory text messages – many of them from former Cobras alumni who still actively keep up with the team years later.
The game marks the end of the Cobras' 2021 season and for the Grade 12 players, their high school football careers. The 2021 season also saw the Cobras win the Rocky View Sports Association title, for the sixth consecutive year.
McNab said it was difficult and emotional for some of the graduating players when they left the field after their last practice at Spray Lake Sawmills Legacy Field just days before the game against Holy Rosary.
"It's always tough to say goodbye," he said. "I will tell you though, we always rebound. These young kids will start in the weight room and will be doing off-season training, which is mandatory for our team.
"These kids, they understand that they don't only represent the team right now, they represent all teams of the past that have paved the way for them to be successful and make the culture of Cobra football – and it is quite the culture."
